Dragon's Sacrifice
by Knanaki
Summary: AoryuhaMizuryu makes an appearance. key dialogue between two OCs, main function of plot development. i have no idea how to make this sound interesting. read at your own risk.
1. Rescue Mission

Dragon's Sacrifice

Chapter 1: Rescue Mission

They were sprinting down the corridor with Hiei running ahead and scouting out the adjacent paths for any surprise attacks. If there were unfortunate souls staking out these dingy walkways, too bad for them, Hiei had never shown mercy in his life; because that was not the way to survive in Makai. Kurama was backup in case Hiei ran into anything he could not handle, however unlikely that was.

He slowed to a stop in front of the heavy wooden door that marked the reason they were here in the first place. It was an emergency mission issued by Koenma, Botan had been kidnapped. Yusuke and Kuwabara were taking out the big boss of the operation. Hiei and Kurama were in charge of the rescue stint; Kurama had insisted. 

Hiei smirked as his accomplice caught up with him. Kurama was close to panic when Koenma had made the mission clear to them. The news had not elicited a huge physical response from him but his ki had risen noticeably. As if to mock the panicky fox he offered, in his rich timbre voice,

            "After you…" bowing slightly and still smirking, all he received for his troubles was a dirty look from Kurama. With a deft flick of his wrist, Kurama slashed through the intimidating barrier with the unnaturally sharp thorns of his Rose Whip. The wood splintered and fell apart into innumerable fragments to reveal a chamber of females in the most disturbing plight.

Rows upon rows of human females chained to the walls. Most of them were bruised and battered with their clothes badly ripped. Their mission was to get Botan and clear out. Kurama, being the more sensitive of the two, seemed strangely unbothered by this; apparently too focused on his task of finding Botan. However, even more curious, was Hiei's irritation at what he was seeing. He stood firm at the doorway as Kurama rushed in to locate Botan. He kept his eyes downcast as he waited for Kurama. Suddenly, he snapped his head upwards. There was youki in the room, and it belonged to neither Kurama nor himself. He quickly scanned the sobbing females hanging from their manacles until he found the demon.

She was the only one who was quiet. She expressed no fear for her predicament and instead stared calmly back at him meeting his stern gaze without flinching. Her youki was weak, but it was a dead give away that she was not human. He stepped forward, opening his mouth to speak when Kurama rushed back over cradling Botan in his arms. He nodded to Hiei, signaling that they could leave. He nodded back and followed Kurama down the hallway, throwing one last glance over his shoulder at the mysterious youkai shackled to the wall. 

~ A Few Hours Later…~

They were back at Genkai-baasan's temple getting themselves healed up with hers and Yukina's help. Well the ones who really needed healing in any case were Yusuke and Kuwabara. Kurama had gently laid Botan out on the futon and was presently dabbing a cool cloth over her brow, every ounce of attention focused on what he was doing. He startled slightly when Hiei placed a hand on his shoulder to call for his attention. He flashed Hiei a warm relieved smile and asked him what was the matter.

            " Kurama," Hiei began, a frown creasing forehead, "back at the castle, did you notice anything unusual?" Kurama looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking his head in a negative. Then looking a dash sheepish, he added, 

" But I was a little distracted at the time." Making slight hand gestures towards the sleeping Botan. Hiei growled in irritation. In a very snappish fashion, he informed Kurama, 

            "There was a youkai among the prisoners." Then, like a slow motion film in progress, Kurama's hand flew to his mouth as he gasped in shock. He just remembered something very important.

            "Hiei! I forgot to tell you that Koenma said to retrieve her as well!"

            "Kisama! It would do you good to remember details like that on a mission instead of being distracted by your emotions!" he punctuated the sentence with a growl before leaving the temple in a blur of black.

As he flitted from tree to tree, through the portal between Ningenkai and Makai, he barely paid attention to the changing scenery. He had other things on his mind. _Just who was this girl and what did Koenma what her for? She didn't even seem that powerful…but most importantly was, why the hell was he so damned eager to re-engage the mission to save her?!  _He growled at himself before focusing on what he had to do.

His second visit to the castle was quiet, without all the fanfare, which was unavoidable if Yusuke and Kuwabara were to tag along. Sneaking in through one of the windows, he slipped passed the guards, using the shadows whenever possible to his advantage. The door was still in shambles scattered near the threshold, saving him the trouble of having to break it again. Quietly, he stepped into the room. It was quiet now. The prisoners it held captive were sleeping. Straightening slightly from his crouched positioning in the surrounding darkness, he crept slowly over to where he last remembered she was chained. 

With only the weak illumination of the Makai moon as his source of light, he saw her out of the corner of his eye. In a flash, he was beside her. She really was a weak youkai, even with his presence so near, she had not sensed him. Her head was slumped forward and her long violet tresses curtained her face. She was sleeping in the position that she was chained; as were the other females. Sighing resignedly, he brought his hand up and slapped her lightly to wake her up. Sleepily she raised her head, and he watched fascinated. She opened her almond shaped eyes and stared back at him with unfocused silver orbs. Her small mouth opened to question his being there, but he quickly clamped his hand over her mouth. Hiei did not want any sound to give him away. Bringing his finger to his lips he signaled for her to be quiet. She nodded against his hand and he released his grip on her. In the blink of an eye, he had cut through her metal bonds with his sword, skill honed to perfection only derived from years of practice. She slumped forward into his arms, too weak from lack of nourishment, and he carried her out of the fortress, the way he came in.

She stopped by a nearby lake and put her down on the grass. In truth, he had cut her down from the wall, but had not released her bound hands. After a childhood like his in Makai, trusting someone new was not the smartest thing to do, no matter how unthreatening they seem; take Kurama for example, he could pass for an average human buy but is in fact a 1000-year old fox spirit, to mess around with him would be like dancing with death. He glared at her taking in her appearance slowly. She was petite, maybe even smaller sized than him, and that was a lot to say since he was a half-koorime. She had pale smooth skin, which was now decorated with dirt smudges. Her oval shaped face was framed by her incredibly long purple hair, and her undaunted silver eyes, just stared right back at him, as if daring him to do something cruel to her. His frown eased up a bit and he asked her in his deep voice,

            " Who are you? And what were you doing there among the human captives?"

She looked stunned for a moment, as if not expecting him to be thus polite, especially after witnessing his gruff mannerism. Then she looked up at him and replied,

"My name is Yukiko. I was too weak to defend myself so I was rounded up with the rest of the humans when the slavers came." She shifted slightly which cause the rags she was wearing to slip off her shoulder. Hiei gasped and took a step back. On her right shoulder was the tattoo of a dragon's head. An ornately carved head of blue with menacing eyes like ice-chips, it seemed to watch him as though it was alive. 

"Aoryuha…" he breathed out. Then suddenly snapping out of his revelation, he rushed forward jerking her to her feet with a yank of her chains. Growling slightly, he bent down and circled her slim waist with one arm and lifted her up. He was going to have a very important discussion with the very busy Koenma, whether he liked it or not. He did not like how things were falling into place, especially when his involvement seemed more and more blatant.

Heavy golden doors were thrown open with a resounding crash as the short fire demon strode into the Reikai prince's office with a dirty bundle slung over his right shoulder. George the blue oni came rushing in after him shouting in a panicked voice,

            " You can't go in,Hiei-san! Koenma-sama is very busy right now!!" right before tripping over his own feet and sprawling on the floor right in front of Hiei, effectively blocking his advance unintentionally.

Without so much as an upward glance, the toddler's chewing on his pacifier intensified as he curtly dismissed his personal oni. All he while, never did he pause a moment in his furious stamping of reikai documents with his golden stamp. The piles of sheets and files on his desk never seemed to lessen all, only multiply in numbers.

_His eyes rove over the papers' contents so fast that they threaten to roll right out of his sockets…_Hiei mused in silence. He waited for a while before impatience began to gnaw at him. Shifting from foot to foot, he decided he had had enough of waiting and dropped his 'bundle' roughly to the floor, allowing it to land in an ungraceful heap. It was only when the so-called bundle emitted a startled "Eeep" did Koenma finally look up from his mounds of paperwork to acknowledge the other's presence.

            " What is it now, hiei? I'm a very busy person, can't this wait for another time?" he asked, knowing full well that if anybody were to wait for him, no amount of lifetimes would suffice. Hiei smirked, arching one eyebrow, he let out smoothly,

            "Oh nothing much, I only want to know why we were asked to rescue this." He punctuated his sentence with a kick to his bundle of rags and deep purple tresses.    

            "Hey!" she yelled irritated by his rough treatment, she managed to lash out and strike his foot, although with insufficient force. Immediately, he growled at her audacity to strike him. She shrank back from his sudden burst of warning ki, her eyes though defiant, were lined with fear. He smirked in satisfaction…_exactly the effect I was hoping for, that'll teach her to learn her place…_before returning to glare at Koenma.

By this time, Koenma had managed to find space enough for him to climb onto the table and part the towering mounds of white to allow himself a better view of the individual in question. Upon sighting the youkai by Hiei's feet his face immediately lit up. 

            "Ah…so you've met her, Hiei! She's the newest addition to the Reikai Tentei, so make sure you don't kick her around too much, she'll be a great help to you all!" he piped in delight before returning to his high-backed, cushioned office seat.

            "That's impossible! Her youki is so low she could pass off as human." He scoffed. Once Koenma had gotten comfortable in his chair, he reached once more for his golden chop and replied in an off-handed manner,

            " Which is why you're going to train her."

The whole of Reikai was shaken to its very roots by a thunderous "what".

 The discussion had persisted somewhat to a lesser extent until it was finally brought to a closure with a threat, " you do it Hiei or you'll never be released from your parole as a Reikai Tentei." It was no joke on koenma's part and it definitely was not taken lightly by the fire demon either for his response was all of five minute's worth of continuous swearing.

TBC…

Author's rambling:

Please alert me to any mistakes I may have made in this fic, be they technical errors or OOC-ness. Thank you for your time taken in reading this fic and I apologise if you feel it was a waste of yours. 


	2. Training

Dragon's Sacrifice

Chapter 2: Training

Grumbling profusely, Hiei was forced to carry Yukiko back from Reikai. He knew full well that she would not be able to match his speed if he were to lead the way and he sure as hell did not want rival youkai to find out where his lair was or that he was harboring a weak female youkai there for easy-picking. Not at all happy with how the discussion with Koenma went, Hiei was in a particularly foul mood that evening. He was tired, dirty and burdened with a pupil that he would not have dreamt of taking in a million lifetimes!

He had entered Makai hours ago and had only just reached Mukuro's territory. Abruptly halting his swift maneuvers through treetops, he landed in a clearing in front of a well-concealed cave. Once again, as if to prove his immense displeasure with the task forced onto him, he dropped his extra load on to the ground without so much as a thought about her well being and stepped right over his would-be pupil towards the cave. 

The gentle rocking from the motion of his movement and the rush of wind that caressed her skin as he flitted through the inter-woven branches, combined with her utter exhaustion from lack of food and days of rough treatment caused her mind to drift and her body to relax in his sturdy hold. Just as she was on the brink of peaceful slumber, there was a sudden change of direction and her already battered body connected with hard ground. Her scrambled senses took a while for her to make sense of anything. She had not even had time to gasp about her unexpected descent to the ground when she felt herself hauled to her feet by the cruel metal chains that bound her wrists. Weak and unfocused she tripped over her own feet and fell to the ground, or would have, but her captor just continued to drag her by her shackled hands into what seemed like a dark room. Her skin, already raw from the friction of metal against flesh, began to bleed. Finally, she felt herself thrown onto a large hard slab of stone. It was lined sparsely with hay and there was a sheet of linen to serve as a blanket. There were several candles lit around where she lay, but it had not provided her with enough light to see her captor. 

She felt fear creep into her mind as memory and reality seemed to fuse into one. Her predicament seemed all too familiar. Since birth, all she had known to life were stonewalls and dingy cells, metal chains and unforgiving stone beds. But in the nighttime, stolen slumber to entertain visits from faceless guests was the shameless routine her owners put her through. Each time she would scream and beg until her voice, coarse from her desperate exertions, refused to work and her strength deserted her in the iron grip of her tormentors. Most times she would not even be justified with a glimpse of her abuser's visage as she lay whimpering amongst the dirty beddings. All she would see was the sketchy outline of his back turned to her. 

But, from a distance this time, she heard most clearly his voice, it sounded strangely like a warm summer's breeze, as he spoke to her,

            "Stay here and don't come out. I'm warding the entrance to make sure nothing comes in."

After that, even his sketchy outline, was gone as he disappeared into the encroaching darkness. Her vision blurred and the light dimmed, soon she too was consumed by the darkness. As unwilling as she was to let her guard down in a stranger's abode, she had reached the limit of her youkai body.

Hiei returned to the cave where he had left her. He was carrying a different bundle this time; it was no doubt much lighter. Bending slightly he entered the cave and carefully disarmed the ward to allow himself entry. He found her curled up on his bed with her metal-bound hands held close to her chest and her knees drawn up around her. She was sleeping soundly looking very much like dirt-smudged stray kitten. He slapped her cheek lightly to wake her up with his free hand, before reaching down to get a firm grip on her shackles. He tugged on the chains to lead her out of the cave when she tugged back, refusing to leave her position. He snapped his head back in shock and annoyance at her defiance, mouth open, ready to hurl insults at her when he noticed she was crying, liquid pearls winding meandering paths down her smooth cheeks, and pleading with him very softly in a weak voice,

            "Please…no, no more, let me go…I don't want to do it again, please, just let me go…" and she curled up even tighter.

Immediately, his expression soften, he understood what her past had been like. She had suffered a fate, many of the weak in Makai were forced to live. He could have ended up in the same state as she, but he was lucky enough to be taken in by a band of thieves and not slavers. But that did not change the fact that she was going to be a burden to him in the coming months ahead, so he might as well make an impression while he could before she became too powerful for him to control. Besides he had no experience in handling sobbing females, and he was not about to start learning now. 

Without another moment's hesitation, he pulled on the chain; determine to drag her out of the cave if she insisted on being uncooperative. And she did. She pulled and screamed and kicked and basically made a mess of whatever sparse possessions he had in the cave. Once she was out in the clearing, he growled menacingly at her and drew his katana. 

She froze as she watched him draw his blade. It glimmered keenly as it caught the waning light of the pale Makai moon. _Maybe death will come to me now, and maybe I'll be released from this mess I wanted no part of…_she heard the swish of metal cutting through air and then *chink*. Her cuffs shattered and fell off her bruised wrists. She looked up abruptly to see the face of her saviour but received a face full of clothes instead. She heard his warm voice again,

            "There's a lake about a half a mile from here just follow the path. Wash up, change and come back to this cave. Make sure you sleep because training starts tomorrow." And then he was gone.__

_Training? _Things were different this time round, and she did not know what to expect. But as far as she was concerned, she was not free, there was but a transfer of ownership. She was still a slave, forced to do whatever her master commands of her. Even if he were to treat her fairly, it was not freedom.

Yukiko followed the said path until she came to the waters edge. There she shrugged out of her rags and gave herself the long overdue bath that was owed to her. She scrubbed at the stubborn dirt stains on her skin until it became pink. Then, treated herself to a relaxing swim to soak up the cool temperatures and the gentle caress of the water as it enveloped her body. Almost at once, she began to panic. Had she spent too much time bathing? Would she incur the wrath of her new owner? He did not exactly specify a time limit but neither had her previous owners before they hit her and abused her. Quickly, she swam back to the bank and unraveled the package handed to her. Inside were a pair of black cotton pants, a white sleeveless shirt, a white belt and three rolls of bandages. She threw on her new clothes, which provided her sufficient warmth and protection from the harsh Makai elements, and bandaged her wounds using only one roll of bandage. There was also a pair of cotton shoes, but she chose not to wear them, she had not worn them before, and had survived perfectly well. 

She made her way back to the clearing with her new shoes and two rolls of spare bandages in hand. She did a quick search of the area to locate her owner so she may return her unused rations, but she could not see beyond the darkness of the surrounding trees. Giving up, she entered the cave and placed the items at the foot of the bed. She paused, hesitant for as far as she was concerned, there no pleasant arrangements concerning bed matters. She opted to sleep on the floor instead. Maybe if she was not found lying in a bed, he might not be so tempted to take her. Tomorrow, at first light she would make her escape, because to strike out in the dark in Makai was as futile as prostrating herself before a band of wolves.

The moment she entered the cave, Hiei dismounted from the tree he was resting in and sealed its entrance. He would not be free the rest of the night to stand guard over her; there were preparations that had to be made for the next day.

His bare skin slick with sweat from his exertions was cooled by the light breeze that rustled the leaves. There were a few more hours before dawn, he had finished his preparations early, so maybe he could catch a bit of shuteye before the grueling day ahead.

She sat up suddenly, drenched in cold sweat; her fear still ravaged her mind and the voice still echoed in her head,

            "I'm coming for you." It said, sounding like steel knives dragged against granite. There was fire, a lot of fire. It had seemed to pour in on her from all sides as she stood on a slab of ice that would not melt. Then through the flames, a face jumped out at her. Shocked, she fell from the ice ground and into the pit of fire. She could not remember the face so well except for its psychotic grin filled with sharp pointed teeth decorated in fresh blood and decaying flesh. Its deadly promise continued to echo in her mind even as she rejoined the world of the conscious; the sense of dread was heavy in her. She had to flee now.

Having always been a light sleeper, he was quite suddenly awakened by the slight shift of ki in the vicinity. He hopped down from his perch and made his way into the cave until he came to the area where he put up the ward. He had to force down a chuckle when he saw a very frustrated Yukiko pounding on the invisible barrier that kept her in and everything else out. It was obvious that she had every intention of making a quick get away at first light, but the ward was a formidable obstacle she was not likely to break through anytime soon. 

Finally, he made his presence known by clearing his throat audibly. This caused her to pause in mid-strike and drop her hands to her sides with a guilty look about her face as she backed away in small shuffling steps. She kept her eyes downcast and avoided his gaze as he bent down to carefully disarm the ward. In a timid voice, she apologised for her actions and quietly followed him out of the cave into the open. Once out in the sunlight, she paused at the cave opening, until her hesitance caught his attention, forcing him to turn around to question her. It was also the first time she got to see her captors face clearly. Dressed entirely in black save for the four white belts around his slight waist, he was not exactly what one would call statuesque, but his small-built was packed with the suppressed youki if an S-class demon. He faced her with his head cocked to one side and arms folded across his broad chest.  He stared at her a moment longer with his blood-red orbs before asking her gruffly,

            "What are you standing there for? There are a lot of things to do today!"

She was startled somewhat by the stark mismatch of the rough timbre in his voice and his almost child-like countenance. She blinked a few times before she found her voice,

            "I was wondering how I might address you sir, and to inform you that I had not used these last night." She mumbled with a slight bow, raising up the cotton shoes and rolls of unused bandages. As if caught unawares by her polite address, he turned away from her before shooting her a sidelong glance coupled with a stern reply,

            "Hn…the name's Hiei. You'll definitely need the shoes today and…" he glanced briefly at her arms and feet, so smooth and pale, and unprotected. He scowled before continuing,

            "I didn't go through all the trouble of getting those for you to hand them back to me. One roll is to serve as arm and leg guards, and the other…" here he faltered a bit, not knowing how to put it across to her without sounding vulgar, but then again what did he care about what she thought,

            "The other is to serve as a breast-binding, you'll be doing a lot of vigorous exercise daily from now on." Quickly he continued on with his instructions to help brush aside the awkward moment,

            "Get changed into your proper gear, I'll be back with breakfast, and then we can start your training." And then to the untrained eye, he seemed to disappear in a scratchy haze of black.

Blushing slightly when his words finally sank in, she hurriedly entered the cave to dress properly. It seemed weird to her because her previous masters never really bothered with her womanly comforts since it just seemed to add to the hassle they had to go through when undressing her. Moments later when she reemerged from the cave she picked up the scent of meat roasting over an open fire, and she heard the cackling too. She walked slowly round the bend to find Hiei sitting with his back to a tree, poking at the fire with a branch and roasting a large wild boar over it.

He sensed her presence more than saw her; he had always been very sensitive to other's ki. Without looking up he invited her to join him. After she settled herself across from him, he threw her a passing glance and noticed how her silver eyes seemed to reflect the dancing yellow flames, making them seem like liquid gold. However, her obvious hunger was mirrored in her unwavering stare as she eyed the hunk of meat, ready to pounce any moment. _She looks so scrawny…_*sigh*. He was wasting time anyway by letting the meat cook the conventional way, he might as well  put his power to good use.

            "Stand up and get back, we can have breakfast sooner if you do as I say."

She stood up and mumbled a hurried, "Yes, Hiei-sama." Which made him pause before he proceeded to cook the meat properly to say,

            "What did you just call me?" Afraid that she might have done something wrong, she hesitated in repeating herself, but his threatening gaze that promised bodily harm if she did not speak up, 'encouraged' her to change her mind, she said,

            "I called you Hiei-sama…" but he cut her off before she could finish her reply,

            "Don't ever do that again." He saw her questioning look and decided to humor her with an explanation,

            "I'm not some new master you have to please," at that, he threw her a pointed look which conveyed the fact that he knew what she had gone through, then he continued,

            "I'm just supposed to train you to fight and fend for yourself. So just call me by my name, plain and simple."

            "Yes, Hiei-sa…" and she clamped her mouth shut before she made another slip. But she was grinning now; at least she would not have to worry about his intentions towards her anymore. 

He generated fire in the palm of his hand and aimed it at their breakfast, effectively roasting it to perfection. This display received a startled gasp from her as it brought back the memory of the terrifying dream she had earlier. But she chose to keep her fears to herself, for now at least.  The rest of breakfast passed wordlessly as Yukiko stuffed herself full with meat, while Hiei picked at his and waited for her to finish. He would have advised her not to eat so much but then again seeing that she had not eaten for so many days, he let her be.

She felt like she was about to burst at the seams by the time she was done with breakfast. Grinning happily, she looked across from her to eye Hiei. He was leaning back against the tree trunk with one knee folded and the other knee raised so he could rest his arm. His katana was rested on his shoulder and his half-lid eyes seemed unfocused as he stared at he fire that was still going strong. He seemed hypnotized by its flickering dance. Carefully she brushed her hands off and crept round the fire to get a closer look at him. 

            "What do you think you're doing?"

She froze instantly and turned her head to look at his face. His eyes were no longer half-lid, they were alert and watching her warily. He glanced back at the pig and noticed it had been reduced to the inedible, bones. 

            "About time you finished breakfast, let's start." He rose from his position and gestured for her to follow him to the front of the cave. 

There he led her to a large boulder and patted it lightly, calling her to attention. His lips were curved into a sardonic smirk as he relayed to her what her first task of the day was.

            "This is your starting point, about a mile straight ahead, is another just like it and a mile after that is another. All in all there are twenty boulders, twenty miles. I want you to do twenty laps, simple?"

Her jaw dropped in disbelieve never in her life had she been subjected to such, such physical torture. And Hiei's smirk widened a fraction; he was taking great pleasure in dishing out near impossible feats for his new student. Upon further absence of reply from his stunned pupil, he continued,

            "You may begin whenever you feel comfortable to. And one more thing, so you don't feel so wronged doing your morning exercise alone, I'll be circling this forest five times while you run." He turned his back and stalked of into the woods to begin his run when she heard her voice laced with a rebellious tone, yell back at him,

            "What?! Only five times? That's probably not even half of what I have to do. Besides, aren't you afraid I might run away?"

            "You shouldn't speak if you don't know what you're talking about. The distance I'll be covering is probably three times yours." Then he glared at her, bearing his teeth as he ground out his answer to her second question,

            "If you choose to run, then I'll have no choice but to hunt you down. And I always catch my prey, though they don't always return in one piece." Then he turned and disappeared into the forest

She stood there with her jaw slack and her eyes wide with fear. She was shivering as cold sweat ran rivulets across her skin. Her breath came in short gasps as her thoughts chased each other in her frenzied mind. He seemed to promise her death every time she threatened to step out of line. As she started her run, she began to wonder if having him, as a master was to be considered a blessing or a curse.

By the end of her first lap, she could no longer hold breakfast down. It came out in a torrent of digestive fluids, as she paused by the path-side to throw up. Her long purple locks had been bound into a tight neat braid, back at the cave. Somehow, back then she already knew that the sound of vigorous exercise did not bode well for her. Her tolerance had outlasted her expectations; she was surprised to say the least. She had expected herself to drop from exhaustion by the second lap but even as she began on the fifth lap, she was still breathing easy. 

By the eleventh lap, weariness had begun to attack the edges of her awareness and her running had reduced itself to mechanical action, moving out of repetition than out of will. By the eighth lap, she had already lost all interest in her surroundings as they had grown too boring through recurrence. This provided space in her tiring mind to ponder other things, like how she had not noticed the damn boulder last night. 

It was a given that she was never really powerful, but if it was one thing she had to her name, it was being very observant. She had to be. In her line of work, people did not tell you what they preferred you to do; you had to figure it out on your own so they would not hurt you. Putting that to good use, when she arrived last night, she was dead sure that the huge, impossible-to-miss, starting-point-of-her-run, boulder was not there. So how did it get there?_ Don't tell me Hiei-sama spent last night…_

Every mile she ran after that, she took special notice of the size of each blasted boulder. They were all at least as big as her. _That must have been one helluva exhausting night…_She felt a tad guilty when she finished her run short of three laps. She really could not move another step. She stumbled back into the clearing and lay on the cool grass, breathing deeply. That guilt thickened, when she heard Hiei enter the clearing a while later, he too was panting slightly. He looked a bit surprised at her, and managed to say between breaths,

            "Amazing, you arrived back earlier than me. I must be getting sloppy." But his tone was sarcastic and when she looked at him in the eyes, he stared right back at her accusingly. He had been keeping tabs on her with his Jagan throughout his run. It was more so to look out for her safety, in case any foreign youkai managed to slip pass the wards he put up around the perimeter. But he was more surprised at her daring to disobey his instructions.

Feeling thoroughly ashamed at her actions, she offered to go hunt and cook lunch. She received an immediate chastising from Hiei.

            "You, get lunch?! You can't even wield a sword properly! I can't risk you getting injured." It was a while later that he realized on what note he had ended the discussion. He looked up sharply when Yukiko thanked him in her soft voice,

            "Thank you for your conc…" and for the second time that morning he cut her off. Angry with her for assuming things, he hissed,

            "It's not concern! If you got injured, it would only delay the completion of your training, which means being stuck with you longer than I'm willing to be!" Saying thus, he hurried off to catch lunch.

~After a very quiet lunch…~

Yukiko had taken special care not to overeat again, so they finished lunch within a matter of minutes. Again Hiei led her to the front of the cave and told her to wait there while he went in to retrieve something. He emerged holding two katanas this time. One was the one that he usually had strapped to his waist, and one with a beautifully crafted scabbard and a handle to match. It looked expensive, it looked heavy too. 

He threw her his sword, she fumbled frantically with it, before dropping it on the ground in an unceremonious *thunk*. She bent down to pick it up and stood up slowly with a sheepish grin plastered on her face, one hand holding the blade to her chest and the other scratching the back of her head. Hiei let out an exasperated sigh, his face was buried in one hand, under his breath he muttered,

            "Why me?"

Author's ramblings:

Thank you all of you for your reviews I really appreciate them. They really mean a lot to me. As for the question about the human females, I regret to inform you that I don't actually have an explanation for all of that. It was just whatever worked at that time. For that I apologise. Well this chapter turned out a whole lot longer than usual as you can see. I guess I went on a writing binge, but as we all know, length does not equate to quality. So once again, if you can tell me what's wrong with it be it technical errors or OOC-ness please inform me. Sorry if you didn't like it, I apologise in advance if you didn't. Thank you for your patronage. 


	3. Preparation For Explanation

Dragon's Sacrifice

Chapter 3: Preparation for Explanation 

Days turned to weeks, and weeks turned to months. With each passing day, training intensified. Neither thought nor care was spared for the poor soul being trained, only that the task entrusted be completed, and completed perfectly.

            "NO! You're still getting it wrong! AGAIN!" was probably the most common phrase Yukiko had heard in the past five months. If it was not her grip on the weapon that was wrong, it was her stance; if it was not her stance then it was the angle of her strike. If it was not any of these three then it was probably Hiei's bad mood and refusal to compliment her. The first four months had been backbreaking physical torture concentrated on building up her stamina and endurance. It was only in the last month or so he had switched to training her speed. In weaponry education, the basics were accomplished in the first two months. Focus had then been shifted to skill, technique and fluency in execution. Without a doubt the weapon in question was the sword, but from time to time he would break the monotony by teaching her hand-to-hand combat styles.

From Yukiko's point of view, the past five months had been nothing short of pure torture. To her it seemed like a mindless repetition of the testing her body's limits each day, before she broke down from exhaustion. She submitted herself to grueling physical activity for fear of losing her life since every bit of defiance on her part, was countered by a death threat from her trainer. Her nights were filled with exhaustion-induced slumber, which left no room for pleasant dreams or disturbing nightmares. It was a tough life to lead, but at least she knew she was getting stronger, even if she felt too fatigued to notice it.

~*~

As usual, she woke up at the crack of dawn, only to find that Hiei was already up before her. As usual, breakfast was carried out in the quiet fashion preferred by Hiei, which she had come to accept. As usual, training began with as little conversation exchanged as possible. 

But when she returned from her twenty-by-twenty mile warm-up run, she saw Hiei already in the clearing with his back faced to her, talking to another individual who struck her as vaguely familiar.

            "What is it this time?" Hiei asked in a gruff voice, clearly not liking the interference.

            " I don't really know, I was just asked to pass you a message from Mukuro, Hiei-kun." The redheaded messenger replied, before looking up to flash her a brief smile. Yukiko grinned back before forcing her mouth into a straight line when Hiei turned around to acknowledge her presence. The good-looking messenger continued in his high alto voice,

            "You don't have to worry about her, we can look after her…" Hiei shot him a glare and cut him off with a one-worded question,

            "We?"

The slender red-head covered his mouth politely as he chuckled before answering Hiei's question,

            "Yusuke felt that he needed a vacation, so he and Kuwa-chan are coming down later to join me."

            "Chi!" Hiei snorted before finishing up his instructions, " make sure you guys don't make a mess of things." And then he disappeared before the other person could utter another word. The messenger's eyes briefly trailed after Hiei before they suddenly turned to fix themselves on Yukiko. By then she had already gotten her breathing under control and was looking forward to an explanation. The tall redhead moved gracefully towards her. She took in his measured steps, trying to recall where she had seen him before. He paused directly in front of her before offering his hand in a polite greeting. _Ah, yes! He was the one who came with Hiei-sama that night to rescue the blue-haired slave…_

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Kurama."

With the same polite gesture, she accepted his hand with a quick shake before stepping back to bow low in submission as she had been taught to do all her life. In her mind, the questions chased one another. _Who is this Kurama? Can he be trusted? Why did Hiei…_but her thoughts were cut off by Kurama's gentle voice,

            "You must be Yukiko. You can relax now 'cause there won't be any training today, Hiei's got some important things to do." The last statement he had added as an afterthought. _Perhaps a little extra information would help to loosen her up a bit._ Unconsciously, the tight knot between her shoulders had eased up a bit as her posture relaxed, to such an extent, that she forgot to bite back her question.

            " So what happens now?" she immediately gasped at her slip of tongue. If it were Hiei she was talking to, she would have gotten a face-full of scolding for questioning his actions. She cringed, clearly expecting the same response from Kurama. Instead she was rewarded with his laughter, which sounded very much like silver bells. When he had gotten his chuckling under control, and Yukiko was still staring wide eyed, 

            "My, my, aren't we the curious one? Well judging from your reaction I'm guessing that you've been put through hell under him. Am I right?" all she could do was nod mutedly. And he continued with ease, he had always been the eloquent one.

            "Well worry not. Two of my associates will be joining me later and all four of us can enjoy a little picnic together until Hiei comes back. No stress at all."  And not a moment too soon, the boisterous voices of two squabbling males could be heard in the distance.

            "Wah! What do you mean my fault?! You're the one who wanted Keiko's cooking on the picnic menu!"

            "Hey! But you're the one who made the slip and got us kicked out with nothing to eat!"

            "AHEM!" Kurama cleared his throat loudly to get the attention of the other two teens who were currently trying to strangle each other and balance a picnic basket on one foot. Everything froze in mid-action, one could hear the crickets making their routine calls to one another. The dark-haired teen slowly unwound his fingers from orange-head's neck and scratched the back of his head, all the while grinning sheepishly.

            "Yo! Kurama! We got the food!" the tall orange haired one yelled, holding up a rather damaged picnic basket. 

            "And it's in one piece amazingly!" Kurama added smilingly, not a note of sarcasm in his voice though the words made the intention apparent.

Still feeling a little awkward, she sat herself down next to Kurama amidst the new faces. _What harm could there be? They are Hiei-sama's friends anyway…_ The boys continued with their conversation in their loud carefree voices, not at all pressuring Yukiko into talking. All were willing to wait for her to open up in her own time when she felt ready. And that was what made her feel even more at ease with them. From where she sat, it looked like it was turning out to be a very relaxing day…

~*~

Hiei stormed past the guards at the entrance of the fortress, where Mukuro lived, who hurriedly tried to pull themselves to attention for fear of what the fire demon might do. Feeling a pinch irritated that his training of Yukiko was interrupted. He swore that if it were for some stupid reason like another lost human, he would lash out at Mukuro. At this he had to smirk, he had not had a spar with Mukuro in quite a while. He always looked forward to those. Not only did she manage to push the limits of his capabilities, their spars always opened windows into her enigmatic personality. He knew so little about her, and yet he was the heir to her third of Makai, the whole idea was just too curious to not be questioned. 

He threw open the heavy double doors with a fling of his hand. With sure steps he advanced towards Mukuro who was currently sitting leisurely on her divan with both her hand thrown over, resting on the back and her legs crossed. He stopped right in front of her, crossing his hands over his chest in defiance. When she offered no start to their discussion, his impatience got the better of him,

            " What's all this about? And the explanation better be good…"

There was a poignant pause before she replied in tone of casual authority,

            " I don't quite know Hiei, I'm just the messenger for Koenma. I was hoping you could tell me what's going on. And not to mention that strange girl you're keeping in your 'secret' hideout…" her sarcasm was not lost on Hiei, neither was the undercurrent of her promised threat if he did not give her a good explanation. It was part of his feral nature, he hated being threatened and he had no qualms about making his displeasure apparent to her in the form of an audible growl; after all he had taken a few of her ki blasts straight on and survived. From where he stood, it looked like it was going to be a long afternoon of tiring verbal exchange tinged with outbreaks of some training of his own…

Author's ramblings:

Erm same thing I guess, ooc-ness if any. Anything you like or don't like about it feel free to leave me a msg in the review list or email me personally I don't mind. I'm so sorry smth this short took so long to come, I've been really really busy. I'll try to upload as often as possible but I can't promise that It'll be frequent. Thank you so much for reading my work I appreciate the time you took!

Luv,

Knanaki


	4. Explanation

Dragon's Sacrifice:

Explanation

He lay on the ground, singed, battered, bleeding and amazingly still breathing. Dark purple bruises decorated his chest and his clothes were burnt to a crisp in some areas. Blood leaked from the side of his mouth and his head wounds, getting into his eyes as it trickled down the side of his face. He could feel his entire being throbbing with pain and his breath was harder to catch than usual. Slowly, he pushed himself off the ground to sit up facing Mukuro; he knew that she would not let him rest too long between sustaining hits from her. It was a simple action, but his world spun even harder, he had to squint to focus on her.

She on the other hand, sat on her wide, comfortably cushioned chair, with her legs crossed and arms folded, watching his every move. Still appearing to be unscathed, the only evidence of her exertion due to battle was her slightly accelerated breathing, and even then, it was not that obvious. Frowning slightly, she finally decided that the test had come to an end.

            " I tire of this aimless spar. It's obvious that you have not reached my level of ability. And do not have the answer to the question I have posed. Why don't you just go on and look for Koenma, get the answer and tell me after that?" the last question being more rhetorical than query, was coupled with a wave of her hand, dismissing him. But quietly, to herself, she noted that he had improved tremendously. In fact, he never failed to surprise her with how much faster or more skilled he had become since the last spar. _He just won't rest till he's proven himself…looks like I've finally found the perfect heir for my third of Makai…_

She continued to watch him pick himself off the ground and stumble slightly as he limped out of her chamber. Her sensitive hearing also picked up a string of rather colourful expletives, at which she just had to chuckle…_always the expressive one._

He dropped by the chamber allocated to him in her immense fortress to get himself cleaned up as best as he could. Throwing on some new clean clothes, he left for Reikai with his trusty katana strapped at his side and a limp.

~*~

The blue-capped toddler paced the length of his table in frustration. The only day his workload was cleared, he had to spend waiting for a fire youkai who did not know the value of punctuality. Grinding down hard on his pacifier, he willed himself not to yell at Hiei as the wooden doors opened to admit the demon. He observed that Hiei, though clean, controlled and calm, did show signs of stiffness in his movement. _There can be no other explanation, he must have gotten into another fight with Mukuro…nobody else can thrash him like that._

Almost as though he could read Koenma's mind, he glared hard at the toddler, daring him to court death by passing a quick quip. Of course it never came because Koenma, as much as he shared everybody else's like for teasing Hiei, was not stupid. Instead, he adjusted his cap one more time before clearing his throat to signify the start of the briefing.

            "Ahem…Hiei, tell me what you know about the Aoryuha."

At this, Hiei was caught by surprise, almond shaped eyes widening questioningly. He thought about it a while before finally offering an answer.

            "It's like my Black Dragon Wave attack. Except that it's rarely seen and attacks deal with the elements of water and ice. There is also no known way of acquiring it. Is there a point to this discussion? And does the point have anything to so with Yukiko?"

Koenma nodded his head gravely. Eyebrows furrowed in thought, he walked over to the edge of the table to climb back into his seat. Once he had settled in comfortably, he continued,

            "You are correct. This has everything to do with Yukiko, and there is no known way of acquiring the technique because you can't, it's a birthright," pausing slightly to make sure he got Hiei's attention, he continued, "Would you care to hear a story?"

Hiei cocked his head to one side, it was not a 'yes' but he was curious now as to just what Koenma was getting at. Koenma took this as a signal to proceed with his storytelling. Resting his arms on the armrests, he touched tips of his fingers and stared into the pyramid it created, before looking straight at Hiei to begin his tale.

            " You've no doubt heard about the reign of the Makai Dragons that existed long before the tri-balance that now keeps order in your world? [Hiei gave a slight nod, refraining from interrupting Koenma's story.] The Dragons were noble creatures that had earned the respect of my father, Enma Daioh. As a show of his favour to them, he had blessed two of the un-hatched young of the *Grand Emerald. At that time, Meikai was still in existence, under the rule of Yakumo. [Hiei's eyes grew dark as he recalled the Reikai Tantei's recent skirmish with the Dark Lord.] It wasn't many months later that under the cover of dark, these two precious children were stolen. Of course Makai was thrown into a panic. Every inch of Makai was scoured, no rock was left unturned and no cave undiscovered. But the Royal Eggs weren't in Makai. They were already in the hands of the Ruler of Meikai, Yakumo, and nobody knew better. The eggs were never recovered. Over a few decades the search lost its vigor and they were mourned as one of the lost. During those years, Yakumo had reared them as his own, harnessing every last ounce of use he could from them. You must know that dragons possess immense strength, both physical and ki likewise. [Hiei gave a nod to convey silently that he knew this and that Koenma still had his attention.] However, Yakumo discovered something else. Having been blessed by a God, the twin young of the Grand Emerald were bestowed with the gift of immortality; they were made into Demi-Gods."

Koenma paused here to drink a bit of water by his table-side. Hiei just shifted uncomfortably, the history lesson had an ominous undertone, and its close relation with his current situation was not making the story any more light-hearted for him. Not liking the awkward silence, he prompted the progression of the conversation,

" And then what happened?"

Koenma just had to smirk, it was not often that you see Hiei so concerned over an ending of a story that did not have some immediate benefit to him. But he too wanted to get this discussion over and done with.

"Well, he had turned them into the perfect instruments of death- smart, swift and deadly. Exactly 500 years after their abduction, he unleashed them on Makai. In one foul swoop, with only the two of them backed up with no more than 1000 of his own minions, he wiped out the entire race of Dragons and captured Makai."

"But all that is just a history lesson. What's the real point of your story?"

"Sharp as always, Hiei. You are, again, correct. That was just to give you a rough back ground and introduction to the people you'll be dealing with, or should I say creatures? [Hiei's brows furrowed as his eyes narrowed warily.] The siblings were named after their attributes, Hotaryu and Mizuryu."

"Fire and water…", Hiei breathed out.

Koenma nodded to acknowledge that Hiei had once again arrived at the right answer.

            "Both Hotaryu and Mizuryu were subdued by Reikai forces after the fall of Yakumo to my Father Enma Diaoh. They were both brought back to Reikai to be judged. It was then decided that they be allowed to exist and work under Reikai's will for various reasons. Firstly, it was obvious that since they could not be killed, something other punishment had to be meted out. Secondly, they were the last of the species that Enma had shown favour to and even went as far as to bless, to kill them would have been a mockery. However, the problem arose when Hotaryu, true to the chaotic nature of fire, refused to be chained to us against his will, so he rebelled. He seeked to re-establish the Draconic rule in Makai by conquering it entirely. And ensuring the continuity of his species with the help of his sister Mizuryu. His sister on the other hand, Mizuryu, was of a more peace-loving nature, but in truth was the stronger of the two because she had greater control of her powers and a rational mind behind her actions. It was she who proposed the idea that helped us solve our problem."

"Get on with it already, you're wasting my time with all these dramatic statements of yours." Hiei stated coldly. It was hard to distinguish if he was interested of impatient, but either reaction to his story meant that Koenma had to speed up his storytelling if he were to escape Hiei tearing up his office in anger.

            "Her brother, she felt, should be imprisoned at five hundred year intervals. After each duration he would be given the opportunity to realize his dream, should he succeed in passing the test, he would be allowed to have his way, if he failed, he would have to wait another five centuries. When we questioned her what test would be strong enough to prevent such a catastrophe as his freedom, she sacrificed herself. She was willing to reduce herself from the majesty of her true form to a fleeting spirit-mark allowed into Makai to possess any soul she choses in order to counter her brother when he was awakens. Reikai agreed because we understood that Hotaryu would never be stronger than his sister. He possesses control over neither his emotions nor power, which means the only chance he has of beating her, is to learn her control. By which time, they would see eye to eye, and he would abandon his cause. Perhaps the only drawback of this solutions is that Reikai no longer has a say in the dragon affairs since they are used to control one another." The last line was said more to himself than to Hiei.

Koenma spied a smirk form on Hiei's lips but as long as he could not read his mind, he would never know what the fire demon was thinking.

Just like water in a stream that runs into a boulder, knowing it cannot pass through it, it flows around it. She never wanted to be your lackey, this five hundred year game of hers is to entertain herself and avoid bending to Reikai's will…Shaking his head in amusement, Hiei decided to bring the conversation to a close, 

            "So I'm to assume that the Spirit-mark is the Aoryuha and that Yukiko is actually Mizuryu, the most powerful being in Makai right now?" Hiei's incredulous tone could have led one to believe he was really impressed or merely being sarcastic. 

            "Yes but the power is not without sacrifice. You were chosen because you know this best. The same way you had to sacrifice your Demon Class to get your Jagan and your right arm initially to learn the Kokuryuha, the power of Mizuryu bestowed on Yukiko through Aoryuha will be paid for with her life."

Hiei turned to leave Koenma's office, signaling that he had heard enough, hence the end of the conversation. Hiei's lack of response or promise unsettled Koenma somewhat, feeling the need to reassure himself. He called out one last time,

            "At the risk of sounding cheesy, the fate of Makai rests in your hands Hiei, I hope you know what to do!"

As he walked out of Reikai, Hiei thought of theTri-Balance, and for some strange reason, Mukuro seemed to loom over all his thoughts.

Author's ramblings:

Woah! I did like more than half of this fic in like one sitting! Well I'm really sorry about the long wait pple but I've been very busy just trying to cope with the suffocating workload from school + studies + CCA responsibilities. So I needed to unwind so I decided to finish up this fic. I can't believe I've reduced myself to such a state where I write to relieve stress. Anyway, thank you for taking time to read this. If it's not up to your reading standard please feel free to drop me a review to blast me to kingdom come or give me the shelling of my life. I'll appreciate it either ways. If there are any queries or if I left out anything feel free to drop me an email and I'll answer all your questions.

O! And please tell me if it's a believable plot. Thx!

*Grand Emerald = the dragon ruler of that time. 


	5. Sparring

Dragon's Sacrifice5:

Sparring…

She sat with the quiet observance taught to her by her sensei, and she watched. Smiling quietly to herself, she took in all the wacky antics of the trio she was sharing the picnic with. Barely a minute passed before the two were back at it again. The lanky orange-haired ningen and the teen that radiated a strange mix of human and demon ki. She would just sit there and laugh politely at their silliness; after all, it did serve as a form of distraction from the tension that was still present between the strangers and her. Gracefully, she lifted her cup to her lips to sip the hot tea made from the leaves of certain Makai plants. The fragrance was pleasant and it helped her relax, the taste was faint and yet lingering with its subtle sweetness that remained her mouth after each sip. These were of course provided by the strange long-haired male sitting just beside her. His features were delicate and feminine. Every now and then his laughing green eyes would glance in her direction, as the corner of his mouth would tip upwards in a gesture of friendship. Again, in his slim frame was the suppressed ki of a S-class youkai, just like Hiei. 

By now they had already finished all the food that was in the basket, all that was left was to relax and indulge in casual conversation, which was also something she found difficult to do. With the same grace with which she brought the cup to her lips, she placed it back gently on the mat. Sitting in a kneeling position, she moved her hands back to rest on her lap, fingering slightly with her long braid of deep violet hair that had strayed over her shoulders.

            " Yukiko-chan, are you ok? You seem awfully quiet, don't be afraid of speaking to us. We're friends of Hiei's and you're supposed to be relaxing! After all this is a rare opportunity that Hiei's not around to grill you!" This statement won a small chuckle from her.

            " There you see! You should laugh more! You look so much prettier this way. Do you feel more comfortable with us now?"

She nodded her head and flashed him a wide grin before uttering her first complete sentence since they settled down to eating,

            " I'm fine, just a little wary. I mean even if you are Hiei-sama's friends, you're still strangers to me. I just feel a little weirded out since I'd usually be undergoing vigorous training at this time in the morning."

            " Is that so? Perhaps you'd like to have a little spar with me? I must admit I'm quite curious as to how effective _Hiei-sama's _training has been." At the mention of the word 'spar' all action seemed to have ceased between the other two parties as their ears pricked up in attention.

            " Hey! If you feel confident enough, you might even want to consider taking all three of us on at the same time! I've been itching for a _real _fight for a long time," here he throws a pointed glance at Kuwabara before continuing, " this sack of meat couldn't even make it last long enough for me to break a sweat."

            " NANI?! KISAMA!!!!" and the two burst in to a dust cloud of feet and hands. 

Minutes later when the two finally calmed down, they kept up the picnic stuff and prepared themselves for a spar. Yukiko readied her katana, given to her by Hiei, as the others kept a respectable distance away from each other before the signal to begin, which would of course be given by her since she was being challenged by all three of them. In a voice shaky from both nervousness and anticipation, she raised her last clarification before the start of the fight.

            " Alright guys, let's have fun doing this and no fatalities ok?"  there were a round of nods and a nervous laughter that came from her. All eyes were on her now, it did not matter if the signal was verbal or not, the three spirit detectives were waiting for her to make her first move.

Without warning, she disappeared from her position near the three. It did not take much to realize that she had taken a leap into the foliage for cover. The other three followed suit, each leaving a faint trail of their coloured ki behind them as they sprinted from branch to branch.

She crouched between forked branches as she observed them through the particularly dense foliage. Her heart was pounding in her ears and adrenaline coursed through her veins. _Speed is important, but never be rash._ The words of her sensei came back to her. From the looks of things, their ki levels all exceeded hers except maybe for the ningen. This means that she would lose in a head to head battle. Quietly she moved through the leaves, making not a sound. She would try to bring the numbers down to even the odds. Moving into position, she was now downwind of the ningen, positioned slightly behind him. It should not be hard to sneak a swift attack unnoticed…

_DUCK! _Her mind screamed. Barely missing an orange ki generated blade she managed to leap backwards into the foliage for safety. _How the heck…? _Her mind puzzled as she moved into position again, choosing to attack from the top this time. She crouched just before releasing a powerful jump with her blade outstretched to go in for the kill when she heard the ningen speak,

            " There's no point changing your position to above me, I know exactly where you are. I'm very sensitive to change in ki. In other words unless you move very fast, you can't catch me unawares."

            "Fair enough. Then we fight in a face to face combat. First one pinned and unable to retaliate loses, how's that?"

            " Fair enough."

It was a blur of motions as metal and ki clashed. Parry. Parry. Slash. Duck. There was barely a moment to breathe. _God she's fast. If she had chosen another sneak attack, I probably wouldn't have been able to avoid it. Damn it! I'm barely able to defend myself here. _

_God he's good. He's been able to block all my attacks. But he's slowing down. If this is the skill of a D class ningen, I don't know if I'll be able to match up the other two. God, S-class ki…_

_Hiei-san trained her well. Kuwabara's barely had a chance to go on the offensive. She has him cornered taking the defensive all the time, it's an endurance battle. The first to tire out will lose. Doesn't look good for kuwabara, he's slowing down. Hiei…you did good this time, she just might surpass you if you're not careful. _

_Kuwabara you idiot! Haven't been training much have you?! She's thrashing him. Darn she's good. Heh…Hiei's always been good at training people,…must have been damn grueling for her. Damn it! That's fast…_

He crashed backwards. He had taken too many hits. His arms were cut and bleeding. His ki sword fizzled out in his hand. Too much pain clouding his senses. He lay on the ground, his breath coming to him in short gasps. He had has not been this badly beaten since that fight with the Toguro brothers. 

            " You give up? Hurry! I don't know when those other two will attack!"

There was a quick nod and she had concealed herself back in the branches again.

            "Kurama, what do you say we combine our attacks?"

            "You can't be seriously scared, Yusuke? She's not even A-class yet."

            " I don't know man, she's almost as fast as Hiei, that's always something bad…"

            "Ok then, you come in from the left and I from the right. A little help from the greenery in the area will solve any other problems. Ok?"

            "Yosh!"

She sat amidst green tinted darkness as pin-pricks of light squirmed their way through the dense foliage. That first fight really tired her out. The ningen lasted much longer than she expected him to. And now she still had two more combatants to worry about. In…out…in…out…her heartbeats became less erratic as her breathing slowed; closing her eyes, she spread her senses outwards. In her mind's eye she visualized the forest and felt the energy emanating from the trees themselves the breathed deeper and looked for signs of foreign ki… the branch she was crouching on gave way under her.

Actually, to be more exact, it did not give way, it sort of just tipped her off. In her shock she crashed through a few branches before her hand shot out reflexively to catch on to another branch. In a graceful arc she swung round the branch and released in time to let the momentum carry her through a back flip before reaching a balanced landing on an opposite branch. Her feet had barely touched the said tree limb before it moved out from under her feet to leave her falling straight towards the ground. 

This time she met with the forest floor in an clumsy tumble as she rolled to one side and tried to stand. She was caught unawares a second time by a moving branch! Pain shot up her leg as she rested her weight on her ankle. She let out a surprised yelp at the pain and immediately tried to stifle her want to cry out in pain. Falling to one knee, she instinctively pressed herself flat against the ground to evade a ki-energy ball whiz past overhead. Immediately followed to a dive to the right as the ground she was previously lying on was lashed with a thick green whip. As she took a double take at the ground she realized that the earth was ripped upwards, raked right out of the ground by the sharp thorns adorning the whip that snaked the ground near the red heads feet. He was still wearing a pleasant smile on his face as he asked her,

            "Is your foot ok? Would you like to give up now or continue fighting?"  

Narrowing her eyes, she released three shurikens towards his as she darted to one side. It did not take much effort on his part as he stayed relatively still, needing to move only his wrists to knock the flying weapons out of the air. With a sharp *chink*chink*chink*, her shurikens were embedded instead in the ground. He stepped over them and dashed forward towards her when Yusuke leaped over his shoulder and landed in front of her. Smoothly sliding into position, his fists glowed with ki as he readied himself. She too slid into position, sword held up fast before her as she watched him, wary of his every move. Without warning, she launched into a forward thrust, but he evaded to the side. With a deft turn of the wrist, she brought her blade swiftly to the side in a diagonal cut upwards…when she realize he had already moved out of danger's range. Following her instincts she spun around only to have his fist connect with her jaw. Time seemed to freeze as she felt herself flying backwards from the force. Her back crashed into the tree with devastating force. She lay limp and crumpled on the ground as she tried to gather her scattered senses. She could not even tell sky from floor as she force her body upwards. Amazingly, her katana was still firmly in her grasp. The coarseness of the leather handle brought her little reassurance as dark spots continued to dance in her vision. Relying almost entirely on her instincts, she managed to sway out of the line of fire of one of Yusuke's ki balls when Kurama's whip caught her round the wrist, the force of the lash caused her to drop her katana as the thorns dug painfully into her flash. Defiantly, she tugged on the whip in a futile attempt to free her arm but it only cause the green spikes to lodge themselves deeper into her flesh.

            "Do you yield?"

            "Never."

Somewhere along the way, the spar had taken on a deeper meaning. It was not just for fun anymore, it was about pride and tutelage and honoring the sensei. It did not seem fair for her to admit defeat. It would be like letting Hiei down…

            "I think the outcome of the spar is clear enough."

All three spun around in a chorus of,

            "Hiei!"

A/N: hey pple sorry for the delay, but yar I didn't get that feeling that makes you wanna write up till now. Perhaps it was the stress that was killing my senses but I can't believe that I actually forgot how fulfilling it actually feels to write and complete a chapter or a story. I'm so sorry it's been so long since I last updated. Anyway, same thing as always, OOCness or not happy with anything feel free to review and leave your complains there for me to pick out or flame if you feel you must. But as long as it's constructive I'll accept it no matter how curt. But yes CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!! I love you!


	6. Aoryuha

Dragon's Sacrifice 6:

Aoryuha

The rose whip shimmered around her wrist before it reduced itself to a single blood red rose held deftly between Kurama's fingers. He threw it towards her and she caught it in her injured hand, feeling the cool brush of its petals against the ripped flesh of her wrist. It was a thorn-less rose. She looked up to catch his bottle-green gaze and he flashed her a sidelong smile, she could not help but smile back in return. Her eyes shifted to fall upon a short fire demon that slowly advanced towards her.

The other was already making his exit when he heard the gruff voice of his friend called out,

" Undo whatever damage you've done before you leave."

It took Kurama less than a minute to grow one of his many useful herbs and bind it between bandages to her injured wrist. Years of practice from helping Hiei re-bind the Kokuryuha with the warded bandage enabled him to move with speed and precision.

"Seeing that you're back, we'll take our leave now. Try not to be too hard on her, she tried her best, and you…"

" I'll do as I see fit. I don't need you telling me what to do, or have you forgotten that already?"

In her kneeling position she sank closer still to the ground. She had never really been punished by Hiei, there was no telling what he could do.

The rest of the reikai tantei gathered up their stuff and slowly made their way back to the portal through which they came. All the while throwing concerned looks over their shoulders at her. All increasingly worried as they watched Hiei's ki rise around him. They knew he was not crazy enough to kill her and risk the wrath of reikai, but they would not put punishment pass him. With his years of hardship in makai, he could think up worse kinds of punishments than they could have nightmares of.

"Hiei-sama, I'm sorry I wasn't good enough, you taught me well I'm just not a good student, I'm sorry I couldn't…"

"Shut up. I don't want to hear your excuses."

He was harsh. So harsh. Somehow this felt worse than the slavery she was bound in before she met him, before he rescued her. His curt words hurt more her wounds, and somehow this pain seemed more terrible. She knew she was letting him down but she could no longer bite back the sobs that escaped her lips. Salty tears trickled down her cheeks, but she hurriedly wiped them away with her hands. She did not care if they stung her open wounds, she just did not want him to see them. It would only let him down more.

"I'm not angry."

He had been there a while, he was watching them spar while carefully concealing his presence by blending in with the residual ki energy of the area. She had held her ground quite well, even up to the last moment when she refused to give up. He was impre -no, satisfied with her performance. It was mor -no, the least he expected of her, since she was his pupil. But he revealed himself to save the trouble of having to wait for her to recuperate if the spar had continued and she got even more wounds.

Presently, he was a little at a loss of what to do. He was not really angry that she lost, after all it would be a little difficult for her to overcome masterful Ki-users when hers was still sealed away. Her sobbing seemed to subside a little but there was still the aftermath of hiccups to deal with. He walked over to her and roughly grabbed her arm and pulled her up. She limped a little on her sprained ankle and kept her eyes downcast. Bracing herself for the punishing blow she felt sure would follow, when she heard him speak softly,

" Go to the river and wash your face. Be back here in five."

He let go of her arm and disappeared into the cave.

Hurriedly she hobbled to the nearby stream and washed herself off, still a little shocked at what just happened, or rather what did not happen. When she returned, refreshed albeit still hobbling, she entered the cave, pausing a while to allow her eyes to adjust to the darkness.

Hiei was seated cross-legged on the floor of their shelter. His breathing was deep and even and all his muscles relaxed. She crept slowly closer, not wanting to disturb him from his meditation, when his voice rang out in soft echoes through the cave,

"Get yourself seated. We won't be doing physical training today. You need to learn how to activate and _control_ your ki."

She sat quietly across from him and awaited his next instructions.

"Close your eyes and relax. Quiet your mind and feel deep within yourself every fiber that makes up your being. Expand it to encompass the heavens but focus on nothingness. I want you to clear your subconscious of everything. Think you can do that?" Here he opened an eye to look at her.

Hesitantly, she nodded her head and proceeded to get into the proper state of mind.

The hours slipped away as the two meditated. Rather distractedly, he listened to the rhythm of her breathing. It was not long before she was drawing long even breaths. Her heartbeat grew quieter and fell into a steady beat. Slowly he opened his eyes and watched her carefully. Her posture was straight-backed, yet relaxed. Deciding not to break the calm, he undid the ward around his jagan and quietly slipped into her subconscious.

"Yukiko…" 

_"Sensei!"_

she nearly jumped when she heard his voice in her mind.

_"Shh… I need you to relax and recover your calm. It is very important."_

_"Yes sensei…"_

slowly her breathing calmed again and her heartbeat slowed down.

"Yukiko…I want you to explore the deep recesses of your mind, and feel for a…second presence…" 

Opening his eyes, he observed her as she broke out in a light perspiration. Emotions played across her face as she probed the secrets of her own mind when suddenly… a film of light surrounded her being. It shimmered and shifted between blue and white, sometimes flaring in a blinding flash other times it flowed over her body like a glowing silhouette.

Seeing this he closed his eyes again and entered her mind. He needed to instruct her on how to conquer the foreign ki inside of her and harness its energy, and offer any assistance should she need it. But the moment he entered her mind he was forcefully hurled out, physically thrown back from the force of her psychic struggle with the entity residing within her.

It was only a split second in its presence, but the sensation that coursed through him was intense. On entry he was met with an incredibly strong mental barrier. It was clear and cool, colder than ice and hotter than hellfire. As feeling came back to his limbs he realized he was covered in a thin layer of frost and some of his limbs were frozen. As his vision slowly came into focus he saw the intense energy that was spiraling around Yukiko. It was a sky blue that flashed and shone like starlight. Her eyes were open and she was floating just above the ground. The ground beneath her was frozen and the grass cracked and shattered from the extreme temperatures. Slowly she turned to face him. Immediately he sensed trouble. Summoning his ki he melted the frost off him and warmed his frozen muscles. The moment movement became possible he had put more distance between himself and her. Her aura was pulsating around her in time with her heartbeat, flaring and receding.

"Yukiko! Wake up! Control it, don't let it control you!"

_Shit. There's no way she can hear me._

He sprang from his resting place to higher ground just in time as one stray tendril of energy whip-lashed the ground creating an unsightly gash on the earth, freezing the ground at the same time. As if on cue, the aura around her suddenly went wild lashing at everything around her, the trees mercilessly fell to her unyielding and overwhelming power. Slashed, smashed and splintered the noise was unbearable, the cracking of wood was deafening as the surrounding landscape was demolished. He had to keep running, it was powerful but until he was sure who or what he was up against he could not risk attacking.

As suddenly as the attack had started, it stopped. Hiding in the undergrowth, Hiei stealthily kept watch of Yukiko.

(yukiko's POV)

_What the hell is going on? I feel like I'm floating. I feel so light and my mind is so woozy I can't think straight. There's something glowing over there…_

_"Come my child. I have waited a long time for this meeting. The Great Battle is not far off, you and I must quickly become one or he will finish you in one blow. You are no more than a glass doll without my power. Come child embrace your destiny with courage."_

_"What… are you?"_

_The entity seemed to be amused by her hesitance but still it glowed every more invitingly as it chimed out in a disembodied voice,_

_"A part of you, always a part of you. I know all that you've gone through, I've watched your fate unfold and it has not been my place to interfere, at least not until now. Now I will use you for my purpose, and you will use my power if you want to survive…no, if you want to validate your existence."_

_"I have tasted freedom, and I will never return to bondage, to be manipulated and used, never. You hear! Get out of my head!"_

_"I can't my dear, you were given to me before you were born to be my vessel. You were promised to me over 500 years ago."_

_"NO! I will not accept that I cannot chose my own fate!"_

_"Perhaps this reluctance is only because you do not understand that you too stand to gain from this pact. Let me demonstrate a fraction of the power you will not have at your disposal."_

There was no acute pain, no unpleasant sensation, just an intense feeling of nothingness and panic rising in her like foul bile. She was floating, but her body felt like a suit she was trapped in, and unable to move. Like a passive spectator she saw Hiei get thrust back half frozen and covered in frost. She watched, confused and worried, but most of all incapable of helping as he struggled to recover and dash for a higher ground.

As she felt herself step out of the cave in pursuit of Hiei, she lamely noted that he was moving with a slight limp.

_"Damn. Why does he have to be injured now of all times!"_

_"What was that my sweet child? I can hear your thoughts my dear. Injured, did you say? That does make the hunt a little bit unfair, but all the more interesting for the hunted don't you think? So be sure not to give away where you think your dear trainer is hiding."_

As if on cue, the word 'trees' sprang into her mind before she could stop herself, betraying Hiei's exact location.

_"You tricked me damnit!"_

_"Thank you dear, that was all the help I needed, now just watch and see how powerful you can become. I will exact some form of pay back for you for all the hardship he put you under…"_

A light breeze blew through the forest and the scent of blood clung to the air. An injured prey lay waiting somewhere in that forest, the hunter should not keep the hunted waiting so unkindly for its impending death. With that, Mizuryu moved in for the kill.

TBC…

A/N: Hey yo. I know I haven't updated for a long while. And I really wouldn't have updated, but the reviews kept coming in and I was just starting to feel so guilty for leaving something unfinished. Heh. Thanks for taking time to read my trash. Much appreciated. And well, I guess if you want an update you gotta review if not I'll just forget that I haven't updated this thing. Sorry sorry for being so irritating. Anyway, thanks a lot for your reviews and emails, especially to **breezy601**.


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